BMW AG, further narrowing the gap between cars and computers, says it will sell you the software required to boost the performance of the six cylinder engines in its 135i and 335i models.

BMW said Monday it will offer two “Performance Power Kits” for its BMW 135i and 335i models, starting at $599. For that price, a BMW dealer will reprogram the engine control chip to increase turbo boost and make other changes so the 3.0 liter, turbocharged motor will deliver 320 horsepower, up 20 horsepower from the standard car. Torque also gets a boost.

BMW says a reprogrammed 335i will run from 0 to 60 mph 0.2 seconds faster than a standard car. This software also works for X6 vehicles produced before April, 2010, BMW says.

A second kit, with a list price of $1,199, includes the software and some hardware, including an auxiliary water cooler and a beefed up radiator fan to handle the additional heat of “extreme driving,” BMW says.

An added bonus: the re-flashed cars make an “exhaust burble” sound. More significant for BMW owners, the factory speed kits, while not cheap, are covered by the factory warranty.

“We had typically left this business pretty much to the aftermarket,” says BMW North America spokesman Dave Buchko. BMW has offered speed modifications on some earlier models, he says, but they involved replacing the engine control chip completely – more expensive than reprogramming the chip that’s already installed.

The speedier software could, in theory, be offered for other BMW models that use the 3.0 liter turbocharged six cylinder, Mr. Buchko says.

Comments (5 of 14)

At $600 to $1200, this software is certainly not cheap! I wonder who is willing to splash that cash just to make their car go a 0.2 seconds faster. Even if I wanted to go faster, surely there are other ways to squeeze out power from the engines!

9:14 pm February 20, 2012

Jon Dunn wrote :

To me, paying that $500-1000 for an extra split second of speed is not worth it. It seems like the sort of thing a rich person without regard to the value of money would purchase. It almost seems like a rip-off, where by learning proper driving techniques, you can speed up your car by a few seconds even.

3:25 am February 14, 2012

Peter Mould wrote :

Since it comes with warranty, I would no longer have to fear not being able to get servicing for it as compared to if an unauthorized dealer rigged it for me. BMW is doing something right here and I am sure many appreciate it.

Good biz for BMW - it's almost pure profit.
Win for the owners, customize your car and keep the warranty. At German repair prices, you want that warranty!
If it knocks out the low--rpm dead spot some of these cars have (and only some owners notice) owners now have a factory approved way to tailor the car to their needs.

There is NO reduction in mpg or increase in emissions from this change; nothing about the thermodynamics of the engine in normal operatation change. Beyond that it only works at full throttle, which is about 1% of driving for the sportiest owners and about .00001% for posers.

If you were wondering "why didn't they do that to start", it is because the standard calibration meets their performance targets and is more than 90% of the buyers will actually use. They also had to keep the 6 cyl's output significantly lower than the earlier non-turbo V8 or cannibalize their own sales on higher profit models, which would not be a smart move.

Chevy had a similar package for their Ecotech 2.0 in the former Cobalt SS and HHR SS, boosting the pint-size engine all the way to 300 hp with the full factory warranty (!)

No, I don't work for a dealer, I just like cars that get reasonable mpg and _move_ when I want them to go. Wheezing clunkers that insolently sit there like a post office clerk when you hit the pedal ==> not worth paying new car money for.

9:03 am September 20, 2011

mike pickens wrote :

I have the stage 1 Dinan software upgrade on my 335i - the increase in horsepower and TORQUE is substantial and well worth the $$$ - it makes this car very fun to drive !